US Posties get 17th place.



On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 14:41:06 -0000, "Simon Mason"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>As voted by BBC R5 Live's audience in their Five Live's "Greatest Team Of
>All Time".
>
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/greatestteam/
>
>Using the "Listen Again" feature, the cycling bit starts at 15mins 30secs
>into the show.


I suppose it's about what one would expect from a list compiled by the
Beeb, but it seems extremely Anglo-centric. Other than the Posties (a
minor team by US standards) there's not a single American team in the
top 32.

Even you Brits must have heard of the "Dream Team", the US basketball
team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. To quote one web site, "Many
consider it the greatest team ever assembled, in any sport."

Still, it's nice the Posties got a mention. ;-)


jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3
 
On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 18:05:26 GMT, John Everett
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Even you Brits must have heard of the "Dream Team", the US basketball
>team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. To quote one web site, "Many
>consider it the greatest team ever assembled, in any sport."


Not really, it was just the best individuals of a sport, that doesn't
make it the best _team_. It may have been a good team, but we can't
really know as it didn't really have any competition...

Jim.
 
Simon Mason wrote:
> As voted by BBC R5 Live's audience in their Five Live's "Greatest Team Of
> All Time".


With the usual bias of such lists towards British football teams and
teams of the recent past. No argument with Brazil 1970 and the
Liverpool side good enough to win several European trophies but most of
the other British football sides are not good enough to get intom a
world list.
Where's the Ajax side - European cup winners 71,72,73. And the Real
Madrid team that won 3 European Cups in 5 years 1988, 2000, 2002. The
AC Milan side, Eurpoean cups 1989 and 1990. And so on.
Its also stretching the definition of a spoting team to count sole
performers and there coaches and owners like Red Rum.
Iain
 
John Everett wrote:

>
> I suppose it's about what one would expect from a list compiled by the
> Beeb, but it seems extremely Anglo-centric. Other than the Posties (a
> minor team by US standards) there's not a single American team in the
> top 32.


If a US radio station was to have a poll then I doubt if any European
teams would feature. It would be all Grid Iron, Baseball, Basketball
and Ice Hockey. Soccer would never get a mention and even if it did it
would probably be the US Women's team.

> Even you Brits must have heard of the "Dream Team", the US basketball
> team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. To quote one web site, "Many
> consider it the greatest team ever assembled, in any sport."


The only US basketball team I remember was the one in the infamous 1972
USA/USSR game and the Harlem Globetrotters.
 
Simon Mason wrote:
> As voted by BBC R5 Live's audience in their Five Live's "Greatest Team Of
> All Time".


I missed the beginning of that so only caught the top four places. Being
a Liverpool FC fan I was most gratified that the 1977-81 team was voted
second only to the Brazil XI that won the 1970 world cup. Not a bad team
to be second to.

But I'd have put USPS several places higher than the M*n Utd [spit]
European Cup winners of '68.

And if you're allowed a span of years (as is evidently the case) surely
Peugeot outrank USPS?

d.
 
John Everett wrote:
> I suppose it's about what one would expect from a list compiled by the
> Beeb, but it seems extremely Anglo-centric.


That's a bit rich coming from someone who lives in a country where the
"world series" baseball is contested by domestic teams. ;-)

But it's a fair point none the less. You'd also have to argue the case
for the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.

d.
 
davek wrote:
> John Everett wrote:
> > I suppose it's about what one would expect from a list compiled by the
> > Beeb, but it seems extremely Anglo-centric.

>
> That's a bit rich coming from someone who lives in a country where the
> "world series" baseball is contested by domestic teams. ;-)


So if a newspaper called 'The World' happens to sponsor a domestic
baseball competition, what else would one call it? (cf Carling
Premiership, Nat West Trophy). Unfortunately in English there is little
to distinguish between 'Le Monde' and 'Mondiale'

...d
 
On 26 Dec 2005 02:30:05 -0800, "David Martin" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>davek wrote:
>> John Everett wrote:
>> > I suppose it's about what one would expect from a list compiled by the
>> > Beeb, but it seems extremely Anglo-centric.

>>
>> That's a bit rich coming from someone who lives in a country where the
>> "world series" baseball is contested by domestic teams. ;-)

>
>So if a newspaper called 'The World' happens to sponsor a domestic
>baseball competition, what else would one call it?


Urban Myth alert! Whoop! Whoop!

http://www.snopes.com/business/names/worldseries.asp
 
Marc Brett wrote:
>
> Urban Myth alert! Whoop! Whoop!
>
> http://www.snopes.com/business/names/worldseries.asp


John Cleese was asked during the Clinton era about the difference
between Brits and Americans:

1. We speak English and you don’t.
2. When we have a World Championship, we invite teams from other countries.
3. Our ruler only requires our citizens to get down on one knee.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham
 
On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 18:11:53 GMT, [email protected] (Jim Ley) wrote:

>On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 18:05:26 GMT, John Everett
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Even you Brits must have heard of the "Dream Team", the US basketball
>>team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. To quote one web site, "Many
>>consider it the greatest team ever assembled, in any sport."

>
>Not really, it was just the best individuals of a sport, that doesn't
>make it the best _team_. It may have been a good team, but we can't
>really know as it didn't really have any competition...


Either that or the team was so good it just looked that way.


jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3
 
On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 23:34:53 +0000, davek <[email protected]>
wrote:

>John Everett wrote:
>> I suppose it's about what one would expect from a list compiled by the
>> Beeb, but it seems extremely Anglo-centric.

>
>That's a bit rich coming from someone who lives in a country where the
>"world series" baseball is contested by domestic teams. ;-)


But wait...didn't the Toronto Blue Jays win the "World Series" in 1992
and 1993? Isn't Canada a different country? Actually, isn't your Queen
their head-of-state?

But...point well taken. Even many of us Yanks think "World Series" is
a misnomer. The Japanese play baseball at a very high level yet their
teams don't get to participate. The Cuban National Team may be the
best baseball team in the world but won't get to prove it anytime
soon. The "World Series" should be called the "Championship of
American Major League Baseball", because that's precisely what it is.

Now if it would only warm up and melt some of this snow I could get
out on the bike instead of participating in this off-topic discussion.

John Everett - Aurora, Illinois, USA


jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3